Dogs bite more often than the men, the unknown and the anxiety

“It is not bad.” Who has not heard these words out of the mouth of an owner with canine, just before you feel the four canine teeth planted in his calf ? Regarding the dog bite, everyone is not housed in the same boat. A study recently published in the british journal Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health can quantify the bad luck, making the point about the risk factors of bite.

To do this, the researchers surveyed 385 homes in Cheshire, a rural county in the north-west of England, known more for his cat than for his dogs. Originality, since most epidemiological studies are based on hospitalization data. And first surprise, the number of bad experiences was much higher than expected : a quarter of the respondents had been bitten by a dog in their life.

The taste of the unknown

Things become more interesting when one focuses on the profile of fans. Very logically, people owning multiple dogs were three times more likely to have used bones to gnaw on in their life. In contrast, more than half (55 %) of respondents who have been bitten have been by a corniaud unknown. Proof, if any were needed, that “it is not mean” worth more to the one who said that for those who hear them.

Moreover, the men were nearly two times more likely to have been bitten than women. The study, being observational, it is impossible to know whether this distinction is due to a distrust-enhanced dogs vis-à-vis men, the differences in behaviour vis-à-vis the animal, or any other sociological factor, such as the practice of hunting.

Bad pick for the anxious

Last aspect of the triad losing the personality. The more a person is stable emotionally, the more likely you are to avoid the blows of the teeth. Conversely, the people at the névrotisme high – anxious, irritable, depressive – are much more likely to experience bites. A result which comes to support what the ethologists and the owners of canine known for a long time : dogs are very sensitive to signs of nervousness in the human being.

In other words, if you are a man anxious and you cross the road to a cabot unknown, it is better to keep your distance. Careful not to run away, especially in front of a stray dog that growls : this kind of behaviour tends to encourage… in Short, it is better to behave with quiet, even when one is anxious. Thanks for nothing.

In the event of a bite, even shallow, it’s important to thoroughly clean the wound with soap and water and then disinfect. If dog bites are less septic than those of cats, there is still a risk of abscess. Preventive treatment with antibiotics may be prescribed by the doctor if the wound is considered serious. It is also prudent to check the immunization status of the two protagonists – rabies for the dog and tetanus for the human to be vaccinated if appropriate.